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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · cell · stick · stand · bat · firm · wax · track

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. firm — steady
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bat — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — decided
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. track — a path
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bat — in an idiom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com